Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-09-01

men say, hope to go on killing in fair
| fight. May my shadow be accursed and
chilled to the, bone forever if it should fall
to numbering like bushman with his
| poisoned arrowsl'' And he stalked away
with much dignity, and left me laughing.
Just then the spies, whom our host had
sent out in the morning to find out if there
were any traces Of our Nasal friends about,
returned and reported that the country
had been secured for fifteen miles round
without single Elmoran being seen, and
that they believed that those gentry had
given up the pursuit and returned whence
they came Mr. Mackenzie gave a sigh of
relief when he heard this, and so. indeed,
did we; for we had had quite enough of the
Nasal to last us for some time Indeed,
the general opinion was that finding we
had reached the mission station in safety.
they had, knowing it's strength, given up
the pursuit of us as a bad job. How i'll
judged that view was, the sequel will show.
After the spies had gone, and Mrs Mac
kenzie and Flossie had retired for the
night, Alphonse, the little Frenchman,
came out, and Sir Henry, who is a very
good French scholar, got him to tell us
how he came to visit Central Africa, which
he did in most extraordinary lingo, which,
for the most part, / shall not attempt to
reproduce.
"My grandfather" he began, s'was a
soldier of the Guard, and served under
Napoleon. He was in the retreat from
Moscow, and lived for ten days on his own
leggings and pair he stole from a COM
rade. He used to get drunk; he died drunk,
and L remember playing at drums OF his
coffin My father"
Here we suggested that he might skip
his ancestry and come to the point.
"Bien, messieurs" replied this comical
little man, with polite bow 'I did only
wish to demonstrate that the military
principle is not hereditary My grand
father was splendid man, six feet two
high, broad in proportion, swallower of
fire and CATERS. Also he was remarkable
for his mustache. To me there remains
the mustache, and nothing more.
81 am, mesieurs, a cook, and was born
at Marseilles. In that dear town I spent
my happy youth. For years and years [
washed the dishes at the Hotel Continental.
All, those were golden days." and he sighed.
Il am a Frenchman. Need I say, mes
sieurs, that I admire beauty? Nay, [
adore the fair. Messieurs, we admire all
the roses in a garden, but we pluck one.
L plucked one, and alas, messieurs, it
pricked my finger! She was a chamber
maid, her name Annette, her figure ravish-
ing, her face an angels. her heart-alas,
meSsieurs that should have to own it
black and ppery as patentleather boot.
loved her; she was so spirituous and
abandoned (here | have lapsed into AL
phOnse's original version Sir Henry sug-
gests that he was trying to translate Isl
spirituelle ct abandonnee), "that | could
not choose but love her. | loved to desper-
alton, | adored her to despair. She trans
ported me-in every sense; she inspired
me. Never have [ cooked as [ cooked for
L had been promoted at the hoteD when
Annette, my adored Annette, smiled on
me. Never" and here his manly voice
broke into sob, "neyer shall / cook so
well again" Here he melted into tears.
'Come, cheer upt' said Sir Henry in
French, smacking him smartly on the
back. There's no knowing what may
happen, you know. To judge from your
dinner to-day, [ should say you were in
fair way to recovery"
Alphonse stopped weeping and com
menced to rub his back. Monsieur" he
said, doubtless means to console, but his
hand is heavy. To continue: we loved,
and were happy in each others love. The
birds in their little nest could not be hap
pier than Alphonse and his Annette. Then
came the w-sapristi!-when think of
it. Messieurs will forgive if / wipe away
q tear. Mine was an evil number; / was
drawn for the CONSUMPTION. Fortune would
be avenged on me for having won the heart
of Annette.
''The evil moment came; / had to GO
tried to run away, but [ was caught by
brutal soldiers, and they banged me with
the butt end of muskets till my mustachios
curled with pain. had cousin, linen
draper, well to do but very ugly. He had
drawn good number, and sympathized
when they thumped me. ITO thee, my
COUSIN / said-'to thee, in whose veins
flows the blue blood of our heroic grand
parents-to thee l consign Annette. Watch
over her whilst [ hunt for glory on the
bloody field
'''Make your mind easy said he; Il will
AS the equel shows, he did.
II went. / lived in barracks on black
soup am refined man and a poet by
nature, and l suffered fortunes from the
coarse horror of my surroundings. There
was a drill sergeant, and he had a cane
All, that cane. how it curled Alas never
can forget IL.
lone morning came the news; my bat
talon was ordered to Tonquin. The drill
sergeant and the other coarse monsters re-
joiced. II made inquiries about Ton
quin. They were not satisfactory. In
Tonquin are savage Chinese who rip you
open. My artistic tastes-for l am also an
artist-recoiled from the idea of being
ripped open. The great man makes up
his mind quickly. [ made up my mind I
determined not to be ripped open. I de-
serted
81 reached Marseilles disguised as an
old man. [ went to the house of my cousin
he in whom runs my grandfather's hero
ic blood-and there sat Annette 1t was
the season of cherries. They took double
stalk. At each end was a cherry. My
cousin put one into his mouth, Annette
put the other in hers. Then they drew
the stalks in till their lips met-and alas,
alas that 1 should have to say it!-they
Kisseu. The game was pretty one, but It
filled NE with fury. The heroic blood of
my grandfather boiled up in me. Irushed
into the kitchen. | struck my cousin with
II III